To be quite honest, we almost forgot that there was a hockey game tonight. The approaching trade deadline has our minds stuck in the press box, talking about everything except the actual on-ice performance. Nonetheless, tonight continues a really tough stretch for the Orange and Black, facing off against a top notch Florida Panthers team. Here are the numbers:
Odds
Puck Lines
- Florida -1.5 (+105)
- Philadelphia +1.5 (-125)
Over/Under
- Over 6 (-115)
- Under 6 (-105)
Money Line
- Florida (-230)
- Philadelphia (+190)
Miscellaneous
- Tyson Foerster Over .5 Points (+124)
- First Period Total Goals Under 1.5 (+100)
- 60 Min. Line – Draw (+350)
- Owen Tippet Under 3.5 SOG (-145)
Predictions
The Florida Panthers are not just good. They are far and away the best team in the National Hockey League. Talk about the Boston Bruins all you want, but the Panthers have accumulated forty-three (43!!) wins in only sixty-three games, and they have a goal differential of +61 against their opponents.
With tonight’s bout, the Flyers are at the very beginning of an absurdly difficult stretch of games, a stretch that could shift the entire tenor of the season if it goes poorly. On Monday, the Flyers lost a close contest against the St. Louis Blues, and after tonight, the Flyers face the following list of matchups: the Lightning, the Sharks (the only brief reprieve), the Maple Leafs, the Bruins, the Maple Leafs again, the Hurricanes, the Bruins again, the Panthers again, and the Rangers. The Flyers have played well, especially against superior opponents, but exactly how many points do we expect to gain from such a gauntlet?
Reasonably, we should expect a losing record. If the Flyers come out of the next ten games with a .500 points percentage, they will have a total of 82 points on the season entering the nine games that would remain. It would not be a perfect position, but we need to set realistic expectations. It wouldn’t be surprising to see something like a 3-5-2 or a 4-5-1 record in the next ten.
What does this mean for tonight? Tonight, we grind. The hockey won’t be a breeze, and neither will the bets. Here are our picks:
Picks
Philadelphia Moneyline (+190)
- Don’t be mistaken. This might be a tough stretch, but the Flyers are more than capable of grabbing a few wins. In fact, one of the Panthers’ sixteen regulation losses came against the Flyers exactly thirty days ago. It is always difficult to beat a good team twice, as the cliché says, but we have some confidence tonight. And if you have some extra confidence, maybe consider taking the 60-Minute Draw at +350 as this could very well be a close one. We are going with the Moneyline, anticipating a Flyers victory by one or two goals.
Owen Tippet Under 3.5 SOG (-145)
- Owen Tippett has been quiet on the scoresheet in recent weeks, but it’s not for a lack of trying. Despite having only three points in his last five games, Tippett has fired sixteen shots on goal. With that said, we think he faces a much more formidable opponent tonight, and fewer shots will result. If the Flyers want to get going, they will need to employ a more deliberate and possessory pace of play, controlling the puck rather than firing everything on net.
BSH Pick Record
34-30-1
